*WESTINDIES VS SRILANKA SUPER SIXES MATCH 9 PREVIEW- ICC WORLDCUP QUALIFIERS 2023*
*THE BUILD UP:*
One team has already made it through, finding themselves at the peak of their powers- not letting any other side score at an excess of 200 this tournament against them. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it’s Srilanka who we are discussing here. Though they have loads of improvements to make in their batting department, their bowling has been a class apart and there are results to show for it. They will be up against a depleted Windies side whose dreams of making it to India have come crashing and they only have themselves to blame. However, they have some winning momentum backing them as a win against Oman boosted the ego of this Hope led Windies who were simply scampering through with 3 losses to suffer from. They’d like their experienced campaigners to stand their ground and prove their mettle against Srilanka, who were the best side of the Qualifiers, melting down sides one by one and in some style.
A Srilankan win is going to be very handy for them heading into the finals of the Qualifiers against Netherlands and victories in these games will be nothing but a big confidence booster heading into India, where competing against high quality well rounded sides is going to pose troubles.
*WI PROBABLE XI:*
Brandon King, Johnson Charles, Keacy Carty, Shai Hope (c & wk), Kyle Mayers, Nicholas Pooran, Roston Chase, Keemo Paul, Romario Shepherd, Keemo Paul, Akeal Hosein
The surface to be used here at Harare is expected to be batting friendly and a belter, in other words. Brandon King, having registered a century vs Oman, in the last encounter that WestIndies featured in, was clinical and pleasing to the eye. The Caribbean would aim at riding this momentum into tomorrow’s game and put a stiff challenge to the Srilankan bowling, which has been par excellence this tournament already.
The likes of Hope and Nicholas Pooran, the experienced pros from this setup and probably the best batters have their task cut-out. Hope already averages a massive 63.66 vs Srilanka in ODI cricket and would be only looking to build on from that outrageous stat. On the other hand, Pooran being equally able has torn apart the SL bowling whenever he has met them, averaging over 50 and striking at nearly 100. The likes of Hasaranga and Theekshana, with their bag of tricks vs this duo, would be a fascinating watch.
The WestIndies bowling, after being below par and mediocre throughout the tournament decided to show their true colours with a collective bowling performance. They bundled Oman out for just 221 and something similar would be needed vs SL’a batting that has for sure, blown hot and cold.
*SL PROBABLE XI:*
Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis (wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka (c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madushanka, Matheesha Pathirana
They haven’t been flawless but they have a clean slate with 6/6 wins so far and they face a stiff challenge next vs WI, who are coming off a win with convinction.
The opening partnership between Nissanka and Dimuth would go along way in deciding the outcome of this game. If they stick around for long, they tend to up the ante and it could be a disastrous thing to see, for a Windies fan. Both average over 55 and have been among the runs.
I doubted Theekshana as an ODI bowler given his history and his ability to start looking un-threatening after the initial burst but in his last few games, the mystery spinner has taken his bowling to a new level. He picked up a four fer last game, including the most crucial wicket of Sean Williams and broke the back of ZIM. Looking forward to see how he manages to weave his magic around WI, who tend to be uncomfortable against such matchups.
*MY PREDICTIONS:*
*FOR WI:*
Highest run getter- Shai Hope/Brandon King
Highest wicket taker- Keemo Paul/Akeal Hossain
*FOR SL:*
Highest run getter- Pathum Nissanka/Dimuth Karunaratne
Highest wicket taker- Wanindu Hasaranga/Maheesh Theekshana
*FOR THIS GAME:*
SL to win